BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Free Wi-Fi is now available along a stretch of Fulton Street with the debut of Brooklyn’s first LinkNYC kiosks.
The initial two stations were installed in Bedford-Stuyvesant this week with one at 1874 Fulton St. near Buffalo Avenue.
The second machine, located at 1803 Fulton St. between Malcolm X Boulevard and Patchen Avenue, has been installed but had not been activated as of Wednesday.
The kiosks give users the ability to access free Wi-Fi, make free phone calls, use maps and call 311 and 911 and charge devices.
Two digital screens on either side of the machine are used for advertising.
When LinkNYC first launched in 2015, New Yorkers were able to browse the internet on the kiosks, but locals complained some users were watching porn and camping out around the machines. The feature has since been removed.
“There were some people who were staying there too long, it’s meant to be used by all,” Ruth Fasoldt, external affairs manager for LinkNYC, told residents at a community board meeting on Monday.
Hundreds of the machines have already been installed in Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens.
Wi-Fi is available within 150 to 200 feet of the kiosk, Fasoldt said. The machines, which will replace the city’s old phone booths, can fully charge an Android phone in 15 minutes or download a movie in less than a minute, she added.
More than 20 other LinkNYC kiosks are proposed for Bed-Stuy’s Community Board 3, with locations on Fulton Street from Saratoga to Classon avenues.